Vegetarian Brazilian Feijoada-Black Bean Stew

Brazilian Feijoada is a recipe for black bean stew originally developed by slaves to use lesser cuts of meat. This is a vegan version. Serve this dish with brown rice or quinoa and greens. I made this for my book club meeting yesterday and it was a hit. Instead of adding the habanero hot sauce into the stew, I took the bottle along so that anyone who wanted to add some heat was free to do so.

Ingredients:

2 16 0z cans black beans, rinsed under cold running water

• 1 clove garlic, chopped fine
• 1 can stewed italian tomatoes, chopped
• 3 cups of water
  
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 carrot, chopped
• 2 ribs celery, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tsp habanero hot sauce (optional)
  
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (or 1 teaspoon dried)
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• Chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
  

Directions:

• Heat olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed sauce pan.
  
• Sauté the onion, carrot, garlic and celery for five minutes, or until the onion is translucent.
  
• Add the zest, cumin and oregano and cook two minutes.
  
• Add the beans, water and tomatoes to the vegetable mixture.
  
• Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium and stir in the tomato paste. Salt & pepper to taste.
  
• Stir in the hot sauce if using. Add more water to desired consistency, if necessary.
  
• Reduce heat to low and stir in the parsley.
  
• Allow to simmer at low heat, partially covered, for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  
  

Flat Roasted Chicken

This is a great recipe to roast a whole chicken in much less time and it is juicy and delicious! Sometimes you can buy the whole flattened chicken in the regular poultry section of your grocery store. Otherwise, ask your butcher to prepare one for you. It is simply a matter of breaking the backbone & breastbone and flattening the chicken down. I served this with roasted potatoes and roasted asparagus.

Ingredients:

One 3 to 4 lb flattened whole chicken
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup dried parsley
2 tsps habanero hot sauce (optional)

Directions:

Place chicken in a roasting pan
Combine oil, garlic, salt, pepper, parsley and hot sauce in a small bowl & mix well.
Brush over chicken to coat well. Cover with foil and allow to sit in fridge for a few hours.
Preheat oven to 4ooF & place chicken in oven uncovered.
Roast for about 50 to 60 minutes until juices run clear, tenting the foil over the chicken once it is browned to your liking.
Allow to sit for 5 minutes before separating.

Broccoli Soup

I'm on a soup kick this week! It is easy to pack it full of veggies; puree it in the food processor and then take it with you in a thermos, so you are getting a full dose of healthy veggies on the run. I add some cooked quinoa (pronounced keenwa) which is a full protein grain. My friend Anne gave me that idea:) This gives you a complete meal in a cup!

Ingredients:

1-1/4 cups chopped carrots (about 2 medium)

3/4 cup chopped onions (about 1 medium)

1/2 cup chopped celery (about 2 stalks)

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 cups 25%-less-sodium chicken or veggie broth

2 cups water

4-1/2 cups broccoli florets (about 2 small bunches)

2 cups milk (optional): if not using, add 2 cups water or broth to make up the liquid

1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese (optional)

Directions:

COOK and stir carrots, onions and celery in hot oil in large saucepan on medium-high heat 3 min. Add broth and water; stir. Bring to boil.

STIR in broccoli. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 10 to 15 min. or until vegetables are tender, stirring frequently.

ADD soup, in batches, to blender or food processor; cover. Blend until pureed. Return soup puree to saucepan. Add milk (if using) & cook until heated through, stirring occasionally.

Serve with grated Parmesan cheese to sprinkle over top.

Swiss Chard Recipe

Swiss Chard is a wonderful vegetable that is rich in vitamins and minerals. To make it tasty you just need a little olive oil, garlic and seasoning. This is a quick recipe & the result is a delicious side dish for salmon or chicken. The healthy fat in olive oil actually helps your body to absorb the vitamins from the vegetables.

Ingredients:

• 1 large bunch of fresh Swiss chard
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
  
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp water
• 1 tsp dried red hot chili peppers
• salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
  

Directions:

1. Rinse out the Swiss chard leaves thoroughly. Remove the toughest third of the stalk, discard.

2. Roll & roughly chop the leaves into inch-wide strips.

3. Heat olive oil in a skillet on a medium heat setting, add garlic and the crushed red pepper. Sauté for about a minute.

4. Add the chopped Swiss chard leaves. Cover. Check after about 5 minutes. If it looks dry, add a couple tablespoons of water. Toss the leaves over in the pan, so that what was on the bottom, is now on the top. Cover again & cook for another 5 minutes. Add salt & pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Parsnip and Lemon Zest Soup

Parsnip & Lemon Soup

1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil

1/2 cup (125 mL) diced Vidalia onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups (500 mL) diced parsnips (about 1 lb/450 g)

4 cups (1L) chicken stock, vegetable stock or water

1 tbsp (15 mL) finely grated lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)

1/4 tsp (4 mL)salt & freshly ground black pepper

In large saucepan over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add onions. Cook, stirring, 2 minutes to soften. Add garlic and cook another minute. Add parsnips and stock or water. Raise heat to high; bring to boil. Stir in zest. Reduce heat to medium. Simmer 15 minutes or until parsnips are tender. Remove from heat; cool slightly.

In blender or food processor, purée soup, in batches if needed. Season with salt & pepper. Makes about 4 cups (1L) for 4 servings.

Leftover Turkey Jalapeno Panini

Tired of turkey leftovers but still have a lot in the fridge? Make these paninis for a flavour that is not at all like Christmas! The jalepeno peppers really spice things up nicely and the cheese takes away the dryness of the turkey leftovers. If you don't have a panini press (I don't), just use a grill pan and sit a cast iron fry pan on top of the sandwiches as your "panini grill". This recipe makes four servings.

INGREDIENTS:

8 slices bread (your choice: I like multigrain; my husband prefers the Italian ciabatta)
4 slices Monterey Jack or Mozarella cheese
Sliced jalapeno peppers (the amount of jalapeno you use depends on the amount of "heat" you enjoy:)
Leftover roast turkey, sliced

Dijon mustard

Olive oil for grill

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the grill pan to medium-high heat with about 2 tsps of olive oil.

For each sandwich: On one bread slice, layer on a slice of cheese, jalapeños & leftover turkey. Spread a thin layer of mustard on another slice of bread, and place it mustard-side down to close the sandwich.

Grill about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes each side, until the cheese is melted and the bread is toasted. Cut in half, serve immediately.

Sweet Potato Muffins

We had quite a few baked sweet potatoes left over from Christmas dinner, so I made these muffins and they were delicious!

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 cup quick oats (ideal for baking)
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 level teaspoons baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup olive or canola oil
1 cup mashed cooked sweet potato
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup low fat probiotic yogurt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

1) Heat oven to 375° F. Lightly oil a 12 cup muffin pan.

2) In a medium bowl, combine all dry ingredients.

3) In a separate medium bowl, whisk together wet ingredients (including mashed sweet potatoes).

4) Gradually add dry ingredients to wet and stir just until combined with each addition. If the mixture is overly dry, stir in a little more yogurt at this point.

5) Use an ice cream scoop to transfer batter to muffin pan.

6) Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool on wire rack and then remove from pan to a plate.